Anti-corruption forces are investigating the most detailed evidence yet of widespread fixing across the cricketing world.

Telegraph Sport can reveal that Lou Vincent, the former New Zealand batsman, has provided officials from the International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption unit with a treasure trove of information about matches which were targeted for spot-fixing and the names of players who were involved.

Domestic matches played by English counties are among those about which Vincent has provided detailed evidence from the period when he was playing for Lancashire and Sussex, along with details of fixing in at least four other countries.

He has also informed them of the details of an approach by another corrupt player to a current international captain, who turned down the offer and reported it to anti-corruption officials.

Investigators from the ICC’s anti-corruption unit are working with detectives employed by cricket boards around the world to piece together a complex case which they believe will emerge as the biggest fixing scandal since the Hansie Cronje affair 14 years ago, and possibly even more significant than that.

Vincent has agreed a plea bargain in the hope of avoiding a criminal prosecution for his involvement in and knowledge of spot-fixing in five or more countries over a four-year period between 2008-2012. He revealed in December he would co-operate with detectives and confessed to an ICC tribunal investigating fixing in Bangladesh earlier this year that he had been approached by an illegal bookmaker.

It is understood the ICC’s anti-corruption police are close to charging a former Pakistan international cricketer based on evidence provided by Vincent. The investigation crosses several international jurisdictions and is expected to take another 12-18 months to complete with anti-corruption officers determined to use the information and land convictions.

Several of his allegations are believed to involve matches played in the now defunct Indian Cricket League, where he said players were offered bribes of money and prostitutes by shadowy figures involved in the tournament. He has also provided names and dates of meetings with fixers which are being cross-referenced by the ICC.

His evidence has laid bare the threat of corruption to Twenty20 competitions in England and elsewhere which interest fixers in Asia when they are screened live on television in India.

Vincent became a roving Twenty20 specialist playing in England, India, Zimbabwe, South Africa and New Zealand when his international career ended in 2007 after 23 Tests and 103 one-day internationals.

He has told anti-corruption police of attempted fixing in the Twenty20 Cup in England when he played for Lancashire and Sussex. He has admitted trying to persuade one Lancashire team-mate to participate in a fix, but the player reported the approach to the authorities. Another county player is believed to have agreed to a fix before later backing out. A 40-over match between Sussex and Kent in 2011 in which Vincent played is being subjected to special scrutiny by the ICC for evidence of corruption.

He has also told investigators of fixing when he played for the Auckland Aces in New Zealand and also when they played in the Twenty20 Champions League tournament in South Africa in October 2012. He has also detailed incidents in the Hong Kong Sixes competition.

A spokesman for the ICC stated the board never comments on anti-corruption matters.

The evidence from Vincent is seen as a valuable method of piecing together patterns of behaviour by fixers and how they target players with gifts and money, and then follow them around the world when they play in different tournaments.

Vincent revealed in December he would co-operate with detectives. “I wish to let everyone know that I am co-operating with an ongoing ICC Anti-Corruption investigation that has been made public,” Vincent said. “This investigation is bound by a number of rules and regulations that mean I am unable to make any further public comment.”

In recent weeks fears emerged in New Zealand, though, that the Vincent investigation was in danger of grinding to a halt over political infighting at the ICC.

Those concerns increased last week when the ICC announced a review of its anti-corruption unit with a view to streamlining its processes. This could have been prompted by doubts over whether the Vincent case will be investigated properly. There are also suggestions his evidence could be put in cold storage due to the political animosity between senior Indian officials and Lalit Modi.

In 2012 Modi was successfully sued for libel in the High Court by Vincent’s former team-mate Chris Cairns for accusations of fixing in the Indian Cricket League.

Since then Cairns’ barrister, Andrew Fitch-Holland, has been arrested by the Metropolitan Police and bailed on suspicion of perverting the course of justice in relation to the Modi libel trial. Cairns has also been interviewed by London detectives in New Zealand.

If the Vincent case proves fixing in the ICL then Modi will undoubtedly kick up a political storm. At least one senior investigator at the ICC’s anti-corruption unit is believed to have offered his resignation over perceived political interference in this case, fearing it could fall victim to a power struggle within the board over the future direction of policing cricket.

A reorganisation of the anti-corruption unit was confirmed by the ICC last week after pressure from the three influential countries, England, Australia and India.

Dave Richardson, the chief executive of the ICC, and representatives from the big three nations who now control the board will conduct the review.

Suspicions it will then be watered down and report to the chairman of the board, N Srinivasan, who is the subject of a fixing scandal in India, have prompted widespread alarm within the game.

This has been angrily denied behind the scenes by those involved in the review who insist the plan is to streamline the organisation and improve its communication with individual anti-corruption units set up by national boards. The Vincent case is a test of whether the communication between those different agencies is workable or not.

15-05-2014, 01:47 AM

Fuller Pilch

Wow.

I don't want to excuse Vincent at all, but I wonder how much the fixing (a) was influenced by his depression and state of mind, and (b) created guilt and exacerbated the depression.

15-05-2014, 02:13 AM

Adders

NZ the New Pakistan:ph34r:

15-05-2014, 02:22 AM

harsh.ag

I remember a banker friend of mine saying, "Sports and actresses are there for the same purpose - to entertain me. I don't mind the booster drugs and boob jobs." Maybe it's time I start thinking like him and add fixing to that list.

15-05-2014, 03:21 AM

uvelocity

dodgy kiwis. still dont get how they can even participate in match fixing when they have no control over the result of the game. what are they going to lose by more?

15-05-2014, 04:29 AM

Agent Nationaux

Quote:

Originally Posted by uvelocity

dodgy kiwis. still dont get how they can even participate in match fixing when they have no control over the result of the game. what are they going to lose by more?

:laugh:

15-05-2014, 01:57 PM

Howsie

Their were rumors about this **** during his last season playing for Auckland, along with a couple of other players. New Zealand cricket did absolutely nothing about it however.

15-05-2014, 02:42 PM

Burgey

Looking forward to the upcoming NZ-Pakistan series which should end in three low scoring, fairly compelling ties.

15-05-2014, 03:48 PM

straw man

Bloody ozzies, always try to claim their own are NZers when they do something wrong.

#RussellCrowe #LouVincentAdelaide

15-05-2014, 04:35 PM

hendrix

Word is that McCullum was the player who strongly rejecting the fixing offer and reported the incident.

I don't want to excuse Vincent at all, but I wonder how much the fixing (a) was influenced by his depression and state of mind, and (b) created guilt and exacerbated the depression.

I think you're pretty spot on. Doesn't excuse him as you say, Iain O'Brien battled a lot of demons and I believe Obba would never have involved himself. I would say that Lou is a much more whimsical individual.

I would say there would be some Auckland players pretty filthy about the Champions League campaigns.